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Owen Lassiter
Owen Lassiter (March 15, 1925 – was a Republican Vice President of the United States politician from California He Served 2 Terms as President of the United States. He served as President from 1991 to 1999 being preceded by D. Wire Newman Early life and political career Lassiter was born in Topeka, Kansas to Ron and Laura Lassiter. Owen graduated from high school and joined the U.S. Marines in 1943, serving in the Pacific at Saipain and Iwo Jima rising from private to the rank of 1st. Lieutenant. After the war, Lassiter attended the University of California and played on the college baseball team. When the Korean War began Lassiter was called up as a Marine captain and sent into battle. Lassiter had already earned the Navy Cross among other medals in WW2, but now for an act of selfless bravery he was awarded the Medal of Honor from President Harry Truman in person. He married Libby Hauser in 1953.Episode 5x10 "The Stormy Present" and adopted a son named Richard. He was a conservative Democrat in his early years supporting Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower. However, as the Democrats became more liberal, Lassiter joined the Republican party in 1961 and was elected to Congress in 1964. After serving two terms in the U.S. House he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1968, and re-elected in 1974. In Congress, Lassiter became a ally of Barry Goldwater and was considerd a rising star in the GOP. In 1978, Lassiter was elected Governor of California, he was a popular governor and won re-election in 1980 and 1984 retiring in 1989. After failing to win the Republican presidential nomination in 1986, Lassiter won both his party's nomination and the presidency in 1990. Lassiter made his home in Costa Mesa, California. He was described as an "Attila the Hun conservative." Josiah Bartlet considered him a "pompous, arrogant know-it-all." Presidential administration Lassiter's administration is considered partially responsible for causing or enhancing many of the Middle Eastern problems that the Bartlet administration faced years later. In 1991, $5 billion dollars was spent on the War on Drugs. This figure would increase incrementally under the Lassiter administration.The War at Home During his presidency, Lassiter had 120 empty judicial seats, due to Democratic disapproval of his appointments.Eppur Si Muove Despite his inability to fill 15% of the judicial seats, Lassiter did elevate liberal Associate Justice Roy Ashland to Chief Justice in 1992.The Supremes That same year, Lassiter appointed Bernard Dahl as Chairman of the Federal ReserveThe White House Pro-Am In both 1991 and 1995, the Lassiter administration lent money to bailout the Mexican economy.Bad Moon Rising In 1996, the Lassiter administration promised Democratic Senator Chris Carrick to build the MB-827 in his state of Idaho.Constituency of One ;Owen Lassiter's Cabinet * Secretary of the Treasury: Max Pearlman * Attorney General: Dwight Mothman * Secretary of Defense': 'Bobby Bodine * Secretary of the Interior: Robert Rosiello * Secretary of Agriculture: Bill Daniel * Secretary of Labor: Leo McGarryIn Excelsis Deo ;Notable Members of the Lassiter Administration * Admiral Percy Fitzwallace - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff * Matt McConnell - Deputy White House Chief of Staff * Jeff Johnson - Senior Assistant to the Deputy White House Chief of Staff for Strategic PlanningDebate Camp * Liz Clark- Executive Assistant to President for Woman’s Rights * Angela Blake - Senior Aide in the Department of LaborDisaster Relief In November 1998, during one of his last major acts as President, Lassiter and Admiral Fitzwallace sent a peacekeeping mission to the Philipinnes consisting of over 1,000 troops. Despite the mission primarily involving just training, logistics, and intelligence, Lassiter was heavily criticized by President-elect Bartlet, who thought he was being "saddled with a war."Memorial Day Post-Presidency President Lassiter spent many of his last years travelling to foreign countries, including the Phillippines, South Korea, and Vietnam. He maintained a habit of telephone communication with former President D. Wire Newman and current President Bartlet, generally regarding issues of the day or historical former Presidents. On a trip to China with Congressman Glen Allen Walken, Lassiter was forced to relieve himself in some bushes in Beijing when a restroom was unavailable. Walken would later speak fondly of the incident and Lassiter's reciting of Lincoln's second State of the Union during the situation. During the MS scandal in 2001 and 2002, Lassiter made phone calls to President Newman, advising him to stay off the media trail and not denounce President Bartlet. Lassiter spent his last years continuing his travels. He travelled not only to foreign countries and sites of foreign battlefields, but also sites of American battlefields of the Civil War. He collected jars of dirt from the battlefields and spent most of his time at the replica of the Oval Office in his library. In late 2003, Lassiter had hip replacement surgery, and he was still recovering from his surgery in early 2004. He slept, ate, and operated mostly out of his Oval Office replica. Lassiter made several calls to President Bartlet, as well as writing him a letter, entitled Need for an American Empire. Lassiter gave his last call to the White House the same night of his death, postponing a trip to Ford's Theatre by President Bartlet. He was found deceased in his Oval Office, from complications due to his hip surgery. OFFICES HELD: 42nd President of the United States. January 20, 1991-January 20, 1999. Elected in 1990, Re-Elected in 1994. 35th Governor of California. January 5, 1979-January 3, 1989. Elected in 1978, Re-Elected in 1980, and 1984. United States Senator from California. January 3, 1969-January 3, 1979. Elected in 1968, Re-Elected in 1974, Resigned. US Representative from California's 1st District. January 3, 1965-January 3, 1969. Elected in 1964, Re-Elected in 1966. Funeral : See Funeral of Owen Lassiter for more information. The funeral of President Lassiter was held at the Owen Lassiter Library in Costa Mesa, California. It was coordinated by Mrs. Lassiter and Donna Moss. * President Josiah Bartlet * Former President D. Wire Newman * Former Secretary of Defense Bobby Bodine * Former Attorney General Dwight Mothman * Former Secretary of the Treasury Max Perlman * Former Secretary of the Interior Robert Rosiello * Earl Renkowski * Former Acting President Glen Allen Walken * White House Communications Director Toby Ziegler Notes President Lassiter was played by an unknown stand-in. His hands as he wrote his letter were the only physical time he was seen, and his image was seen on posters at his funeral. Lassiter's status as Bartlet's immediate predecessor is never directly stated. It is indirectly shown in The Stormy Present with the comment that "the men on this plane are the only ones who have been there" (referring to Walken and Newman) and the fact that the Bartlet administration has not dealt with a presidential funeral before. Lassiter appears to be based on the real life U.S. President Ronald Reagan in that he was a Democrat turned Republican who served as the Governor of California before being elected to two terms as President. Like Reagan, he was known for his strongly conservative views. References Lassiter, Owen Lassiter, Owen Category:Politicians Category:Deceased Characters